‘Don’t Share That Code’: Harsha Bhogle Raises Alarm Over WhatsApp Cyber Scam
Harsha Bhogle urged people to stay vigilant and protect their WhatsApp accounts.
In today’s digital-centric world, digital scams have become a big issue across the globe. With the extensive usage of smartphones and online transactions, scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Speaking about this soaring issue, Indian cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle recently warned internet users about the rising cyber threat known as the “WhatsApp hijacking scam."
Sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bhogle said that losing access to our WhatsApp accounts can be a nightmare in our digital age. To stop this menace, he urged people to stay vigilant and protect their WhatsApp accounts. He also recounted a personal anecdote involving a relative who fell victim to the scam while boarding a flight.
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“Last month, a relative received a message from a friend asking for a code sent to her by mistake. Without any suspicion or doubt in their friendship, she shared the code that came in a text. And guess what? She was logged out of her WhatsApp account, and the scammer was texting her contacts pretending to be her. They were asking for money or codes to also hijack their WhatsApp accounts," he shared.
This doesn’t end here. He shared that the situation worsened when his relative was boarding a flight and was in a rush. “The scammer had changed group settings where she was an admin and even changed the backup email ID so we couldn’t log back in," he wrote.
https://x.com/bhogleharsha/status/1902627556932845883
Moving on, Bhogle thanked Meta for being super helpful in restoring his relative’s access to WhatsApp. With this post, Harsha also shared a video by YouTube creator Saksham Senior. “So, what is this scam, how does it work, and why do we fall for it? Well, the good folks at @sakshamsenior have put together a video explaining it all. Share it with your parents, family, friends, and anyone who could benefit from this," Bhogle wrote.
The clip, available in both English and Hindi, explained the mechanics of the scam and offered safety tips to prevent falling victim to it. Soon enough, the post gained traction online, and thousands of viewers took to the comments section of the post to share their views.
Reacting to the post, an X user wrote, “If people stop giving OTPs or stop clicking on unknown links, scamming won’t be easy for the scammers."
“The tactics used in this scam—requesting a verification code and then using the compromised account to target contacts—are quite common. This is a great reminder to be extra cautious about sharing any codes received via SMS," said another.
An individual commented, “This is so important… scams like this are becoming way too common. Thanks for sharing, Harsha."
“The only thing is that we have to stay cautious, and we have to learn to say no to avoid giving passwords and codes to anyone," an account remarked.
Till now, the post has been viewed by more than 49.8k users.
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